1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to heat exchangers, and more particularly to plate-stack heat exchangers.
2. Description of Related Art
Heat exchangers such as, for example, tube-shell heat exchangers, are typically used in aerospace turbine engines. These heat exchangers are used to transfer thermal energy between two fluids without direct contact between the two fluids. In particular, a primary fluid is typically directed through a fluid passageway of the heat exchanger, while a cooling or heating fluid is brought into external contact with the fluid passageway. In this manner, heat may be conducted through walls of the fluid passageway to thereby transfer energy between the two fluids. One typical application of a heat exchanger is related to an engine and involves the cooling of air drawn into the engine and/or exhausted from the engine.
However, typical tube shell design heat exchangers have structural issues when their cantilevered tube bundles are exposed to typical aerospace vibration environments. In addition, there can be significant bypass of flow around the tubes on the low pressure side of the heat exchanger, resulting in reduced thermal effectiveness as well as other adverse system impacts such as excessive low pressure flow. Subsequently, the heat exchangers either fail, or are heavy, expensive, and difficult to manufacture.
Plate stack heat exchangers have been used to address some of the aforementioned issues of tube shell design heat exchangers. Plate stack heat exchangers include layers of heat transfer elements containing hot and cold fluids in flow channels, the layers stacked one atop another in a core A single hot and cold layer are separated, often by a parting sheet, in an assembly referred to as a plate.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for improved heat exchangers. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.